under scan – Rafael Lozano-Hemmer

I’m really looking forward to going up to Lincon to see this Publin Installation by Rafael Lozano-Hemmer in action this Friday. The installational will be running from the 25th of November till the 4th of December 2005

UNDER SCAN is a large-scale public art project commissioned by the East Midlands Development Agency in England. Thousands of “video-portraits” taken in Derby, Leicester, Lincoln, Northampton and Nottingham will be projected onto the ground of the main squares and pedestrian thoroughfares of these cities. At first, the portraits will not be visible because the space will be flooded by white light coming from the world’s most powerful projector. As people walk around the area, their shadow will be cast on the floor, revealing the video-portraits. The short video sequences begin with the subjects in a still position turned away from the camera. As they appear within pedestrians’ shadows, their bodies move and their heads turn to look straight at the pedestrian, potentially giving rise to an interesting range of interactions. When a shadow moves away from a portrait, the portrait likewise reacts by losing interest and looking away.

Its Rafael Lozano-Hemmer’s 11th Relational Architecture project. I’ve recently posted his well known Relational Architecture 4 which is absoultely beautiful. ‘Under Scan’ looks like it will be too.

Interactive Architecture Lab

The Interactive Architecture Lab is a multi-disciplinary research group and Masters Programme at the Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London. Interested in the Behaviour and Interaction of Things, Environments and their Inhabitants.